In the coming months, I will discuss various things related to computer gaming such as gaming lingo, reviews, tech talk, top five lists, Q&A Session and maybe even the occasional rant.
For the reviews, each game will receive 1.0 to 5.0 points with 1 point being terrible, 3 points being average, and 5 points being perfect. Each review will have a brief description, pros, cons, and the final score.

World of Goo Review

World of Goo is a casual game designed to challenge the user to find creative ways to move little goo balls into a pipe. The player must strategically stack or place some of the goo balls so that other goo balls can enter into a pipe. There are different types of goo balls with different traits such as flammable goo balls, green goo balls which can be stacked multiple times, and sticky goo balls.
While this may sound easy, there are many obstacles that prevent you from taking the straight path to the pipe. Game play involves a cross of physics-based puzzles and Lemmings.
Pros-A fun light-hearted puzzle game with an actual plot. Low computer requirements meant that I could play the whole game on my MSI Wind netbook.
Cons-Some puzzles are not very intuitive. The game is also a bit on the short side.
Overall, World of Goo receives 4.5 points.
The World of Goo Wiki (http://worldofgoo.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page) provides tips, tricks, and videos for each level.

Dekker’s Quick Reviews

Peggle Nights – 3.5 points.

Peggle Nights is a sequel to Peggle, which is a fun puzzle game that involves shooting marbles at orange and blue balls causing the colored balls to be removed and adding points to your score.
Different characters in the game provide you special abilities which help increase your score and help in the removal of the pesky orange and blue balls.
Overall, Peggle does not add much over the original Peggle. On the plus side, all of the Peggle Games can be played on a Windows-based netbook.

Fallout 3 – 4.0 points.

Not a true sequel to Fallout 1 and 2, Fallout 3 is still a lot of fun with a wide variety of quests and locations. The combat can be a bit tedious and graphical glitches tarnish the presentation of the game.
There is a lot of adult content which is not appropriate for young gamers.

Gamer Lingo

Steam – A service that allows individuals to purchase and download full retail games, download game demos, and watch game trailers. Steam is maintained by Valve Corporation and started with the launch of Half-Life 2.
Steam provides access to full retail games from industry giants such as Activision, Sega, Electronic Arts, Eidos, Rockstar, Ubisoft, ID Software, and others.
Steam uses an account-based system which can be accessed on multiple computers. However, a Steam account can only be active on one computer at any give time. For example, Steam can be installed on desktop PC, laptop, and netbook at the same time.
Each computer can have the same games installed, but only one computer can access an account at any given time. The Steam client must be installed and running in order to access, purchase, and play any of the available games.
Currently there are over 580 games available for purchase and download. Steam also runs discounts on certain titles during the weekend.
Some people are justifiably hesitant of buying through Steam, because there is not any tangible property to purchase. Downloads of modern games can take a long time depending on your connection speed.
Also, Steam requires payment through the Internet which can be problematic for some individuals. Steam also has an offline mode in case you don’t have access to the Internet, but the offline mode can be tricky to set-up.
Every game reviewed today is available through Steam. Steam can be viewed and downloaded at http://store.steampowered.com.
Next month, I will discuss DOSbox, mods, and give my thoughts on a couple of games.
Look for my expanded column at www.hal-pc.org.

Dekker